o3 Mini vs Qwen3.5-122B-A10B
o3 Mini (2025) and Qwen3.5-122B-A10B (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from OpenAI and Alibaba. o3 Mini ships a 200k-token context window, while Qwen3.5-122B-A10B ships a 262k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Qwen3.5-122B-A10B leads by 7.6 pts. On pricing, Qwen3.5-122B-A10B costs $0.26/1M input tokens versus $1.10/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Qwen3.5-122B-A10B is ~323% cheaper at $0.26/1M; pay for o3 Mini only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | o3 Mini | Qwen3.5-122B-A10B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 200k | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $4.40/1M tokens | $2.08/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 3 rows | MMLU PRO leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- o3 Mini has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- o3 Mini uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags o3 Mini for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Qwen3.5-122B-A10B holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 7.6 points.
- Qwen3.5-122B-A10B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Qwen3.5-122B-A10B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.08/1M tokens.
- Qwen3.5-122B-A10B uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3.5-122B-A10B for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
o3 Mini
$1,980
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Qwen3.5-122B-A10B
$728
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $1,252. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3.5-122B-A10B is $2.32/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Qwen3.5-122B-A10B adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- o3 Mini is $2.32/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
- o3 Mini adds Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-01-31 | 2026-02-24 |
| Context window | 200k | 262k |
| Parameters | — | 122B |
| Architecture | decoder only | mixture of experts |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-04 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | o3 Mini | Qwen3.5-122B-A10B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.10/1M tokens | $0.26/1M tokens |
| Output price | $4.40/1M tokens | $2.08/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | o3 Mini | Qwen3.5-122B-A10B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | o3 Mini | Qwen3.5-122B-A10B |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 79.1 | 86.7 |
| SWE-bench Verified | 49.3 | 72.0 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 79.7 | 85.7 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has o3 Mini at 79.1 and Qwen3.5-122B-A10B at 86.7, with Qwen3.5-122B-A10B ahead by 7.6 points; SWE-bench Verified has o3 Mini at 49.3 and Qwen3.5-122B-A10B at 72, with Qwen3.5-122B-A10B ahead by 22.7 points; Google-Proof Q&A has o3 Mini at 79.7 and Qwen3.5-122B-A10B at 85.7, with Qwen3.5-122B-A10B ahead by 6 points. The largest visible gap is 22.7 points on SWE-bench Verified, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Qwen3.5-122B-A10B, multimodal input: Qwen3.5-122B-A10B, and code execution: o3 Mini. Both models share reasoning mode, function calling, tool use, and structured outputs, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, o3 Mini lists $1.10/1M input and $4.40/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Qwen3.5-122B-A10B lists $0.26/1M input and $2.08/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3.5-122B-A10B lower by about $1.28 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose o3 Mini when coding workflow support and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-122B-A10B when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, o3 Mini or Qwen3.5-122B-A10B?
Qwen3.5-122B-A10B supports 262k tokens, while o3 Mini supports 200k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is cheaper, o3 Mini or Qwen3.5-122B-A10B?
Qwen3.5-122B-A10B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. o3 Mini costs $1.10/1M input and $4.40/1M output tokens. Qwen3.5-122B-A10B costs $0.26/1M input and $2.08/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is o3 Mini or Qwen3.5-122B-A10B open source?
o3 Mini is listed under Proprietary. Qwen3.5-122B-A10B is listed under Apache 2.0. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, o3 Mini or Qwen3.5-122B-A10B?
Qwen3.5-122B-A10B has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, o3 Mini or Qwen3.5-122B-A10B?
Qwen3.5-122B-A10B has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run o3 Mini and Qwen3.5-122B-A10B?
o3 Mini is available on OpenRouter, Azure OpenAI, OpenAI API, and Vercel AI Gateway. Qwen3.5-122B-A10B is available on OpenRouter, Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS, and Novita AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-04. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.